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March 3, 1964 G. KING m 25530 INSULATED CARRYING CASE FOR HEATED FROZEN FOOD DINNERS AND THE LIKE Original Filed Nov. 14, 1957 l0 r I v. AL V l4 J SJ INVENTOR EDWARD G. K|NG,I1I

ATTORNEY United States Patent 25,530 INSULATED CARRYING CASE FOR HEATED FRQZEN FOOD DENNERS AND THE LIKE Edward G. King HI, 15304 Wedgewood Road, Baltimore 29, Md., assignor of one-half to Joseph Wyniger, Baltimore, Md.

Original No. 3,016,129, dated Jan. 9, 1962, Ser. No. 696,493, Nov. 14, 1957. Application for reissue Nov. 23, 1962, Ser. No. 240,472

4 Claims. (Cl. 206-4) Matter enclosed in heavy brackets appears in the original patent but forms no part of this reissue specification; matter printed in italics indicates the additions made by reissue.

The present invention relates to an insulated carrying case, and more particularly, to an insulated case for carrying heated frozen dinners and the like.

Despite the conveniences and niceties of our modern civilization and the whole array of labor-saving devices that the creative talents of our inventors have produced, the average working person or school child continues to eat a lunch commensurate with the pre-Civil War era. Nutritional experts generally agree that breakfast and lunch are the two most important meals of the day; and as most people are generally in a rush to be on time, they invariably fail to eat a substantial breakfast. In a considerable number of cases, they eat no breakfast at all. Thus their lunch becomes the basic supply of the days total energy requirements, and unfortunately, their lunch is usually insutlicient or else unbalanced. Moreover, the average person has only about 30 minutes for lunch; and if he is fortunate to have a cafeteria in the building or a restaurant nearby, he usually is required to wait 20 minutes to be served. The net result is that the average person has only a few minutes to swallow his food and rush back to work. {Such practices will invariably precipitate a gastric disorder, such as acute indigestion or ulcers] The other alternative that is habitually resorted to, is to bring a lunch from home; but such a lunch has as its basic ingredient, one or more cold, dryE, tasteless] sandwiches that fail to provide a hot, balanced, nutritional meal. It would be desirable, therefore, to combine the nutritional features and varitics of a hot meal such as may be purchased in a cafeteria with the case, speed, economy, and convenience of a lunch that is carried from the home.

In recent years the housewifes chore of preparing the familys meals has been greatly alleviated by the introduction of specially-prepared, pre-cooked foods that are preserved by canning or freezing. Moreover, complete frozen-food dinners are now available that can be heated in an oven for a few minutes and served piping hot. Such dinners comprise a balanced, hot, nutritional, delicious meal and are relatively inexpensive. A typical frozen-food dinner may feature a choice of either EsucculentIE roast turkey with gravy and dressing, or [tender] roast beef with gravy, or several pieces of [golden-brown] fried chicken, all with two tasty vegetables. The dinner is heated directly in its container, which usually consists of an aluminum tray divided into three sections and sealed by a cover sheet of aluminum foil. The dinner is usually eaten directly out of its container.

Such a dinner is the ultimate solution to the problem of providing a delicious, low-cost, hot, balanced, nutritional lunch for the average working erson or school child, and it would be desirable, therefore, to provide a means of carrying the heated dinner to work or to school or on picnics and keeping it hot for several hours until it is consumed.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an insulated case suitable for carrying heated Reisauecl Mar. 3, 1964 "ice frozen-food dinners to work, to school, or on picnics, or on hunting, or driving trips, etc.

In accordance with the teachings of the present invention, two insulated sections are hinged together and provided wtih snaps or latches to form a carrying case that may be held in any desirable position. Each section comprises an outer shell or casing and an inner shell that are fastened together at their perimeters by means of a heatresisting seal. The void or space between the outer casing and inner shell is then filled with a suitable type of insulation. Each of the inner shells is so formed as to provide a plurality of concavitics, usually three, which are separated by the flat surface of the inner shell in order to be compatible with the shape and design of a conventional container for a standard frozen-food dinner. Once the dinner is heated and inserted complete in its container in the lower section, the hinged top section is closed and snapped shut; and the dinner will be kept piping hot for several hours until consumed. In order to prevent the gravies, sauces, or other foods from running together, the flat surfaces of one of the inner shells may be provided with a ridge or series of ridges that mate with a corresponding set of grooves on the flat surfaces of the other inner shell when the hinged sections are brought together. The clearance between the corresponding ridges and grooves is just sufiicient to pinch the relatively soft material of the container at the separations between the various courses of the dinner and therefore prevent any of: the foods from running together. Thus the insulated carrying case may be held vertically, horizontally, or in any particular position.

The invention will be more readily understood from an inspection of the enclosed drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a pictorial view of the insulated carrying case.

FIGURE 2 is a cut-away view taken at line AA of the lower half of the case. In this view, the mating top half or section is shown in broken lines, il /rile the heated dinner, which is to be trapped between the sections, is omitted for convenience of illustration.

With reference lo FIGURE 1, top section 1 is hinged to lower section 2 by means of hinge 3, and the two sections are held together when closed by means of snap latches 4 and 5. Each section comprises an outer casing 6 and an inner shell 7, and the inner shells 7 are provided with a plurality of concavities or inserts S that are adapted to receive the heated frozen-food dinner complete in its container. When the dinner is inserted in lower section 2, top section 1 is closed over it and secured by means of the snap latches 4 and 5. Handles 9 are provided so that the insulated carrying case may be handled like :1 brief case.

The outer casing 6 and inner shell 7 of each of the sections 1 and 2 may be made of aluminum. plastic, or any other suitable material, and the space between the inner shell and outer casing may be filled with any appro priate type of insulation, such as asbestos, foamed plastic, or rockwool, or it could even be evacuated.

With reference to FIGURE 2, which is a cut-away view indicative of either scciion, outer casing 6 (which for example, may be made of aluminum) is fastened to inner shell 7 (which likewise may be made of aluminum. plastic, ceramic, or any suitable material) by means of a heat-resisting insulating seal Ill. If aluminum is chosen as the material for both the outer casing 6 and the inner shell 7, then seal 16 may be of neoprcn: (for example) and may be bonded to outer casing 5 and inner shell 7 by means of an epoxy-type cement for great-er rigidity and resistance to creepage. lrioreover, the neoprene seal it) may be of the type which consists of finely-divided particles of aluminum interposed in a matrix of neoprene,

3 ater strength and adhesion to the aluminum is obtained along with fairly good insulating properties.

The space between the outer shell 6 and the inner shell 7 is filled M h a suitable insulating mat lid 1}, such as usb stos, foamed plastic, or rocl-lwood, or any combination thereof, or even '1 vacuum; and in order to prevent loss of. heat by red n, the inside surface 12 of inner shell 7 may be coated with a lat black paint for radiation absorption, while the outer surface 13 of the inner shell 7 may be silvered, painted, plated, or else polished to a bright and shiny lustre for radiation reflection.

As shown in both FIGURES l and 2, the inner shells 7 are subdivided into a plurality of coneavities or [in- 1 recurs 8, two of which are shown in the cut-away it w. The {Inserts} races es 8 are so adapted as to reccivc a standard size, heated, frozen-food dinner complete in its sectionulized aluminum container. The frozcn-food dinner is heated in an oven directly in its container with its cover of alum num foil left intact. When heated sullicicntly. the di nor is placed directly into the insu .Md carrying case, which keeps it hot for at least 5 or s hours. The dinner may then be eaten directly out of its cont-nin by merely tearing oil" its aluminum-foil co r, as would le done ordina ily.

fiat surfaces separating the concavitics 8 of the inner shell 7 may be provi l with corresponding tongue (or ridge oovc. fort-nations, denoted generally as at 15 in drawin Thus. the tongue and groove formation 1:. shown in the draw ngs. comprises a tongue formed in the lower section 2 and a corresponding groove in the top section 1, rut of course it is to be understood that the tongue could be on the top section and the groove on the lower s ction. j as long as a tongue and groove formation 55. or Gfflllvn The clearance between the corrcsnondl g to pinch together tne relatively soft material at the sepns of the courses of the heated dinner, thus preventany of the courses (particularly gravies or sauces) .m ruining together when the carrying case is handled x, or in odd position. Also, the clearance becorrcspon ng inner shells at their perimeters at to g a p and hold the frozen food contin confines of the carrying case.

.wrmore, the concavities or [inserts] recesses 8 in the top and bottom tions 1 and 2 are made sufficiently large to accommodate the standard types of frozenon the market. yet the [insertfl recesses 8 small to insure a tight fit with relatively cent the container of the heated dinner shell. lvlorcovcr, the [horizontal] outer ,insertslll recesses 8 of the inner and since the th ness of the edges is relatively l the conventional material relatively soft, the es will be squeezed down between the clearance nner shells 7 when sections 1 and 2 are brought In such a mn'nucr, the [rented dinner is trapped luring sections 1 and 2 (is Ihe sections are .1, out! rimultmzcously, the re!- (m' other similar material) used in the puiltr gczl container of the dinner is squeezed not only rirozum its border or periphery, but

t's respective compartments, thereby preventof the dinner from seeping out u'ug together. As an additional ure, the outer casing of the top section shoulder t (as shown in FIGURE 2) is the CXilt. tics of outer casing 6 of the section when the two sections are brought to good. snug, tight lit is provided throughout to ICC the insulating qualities of the carrying 4- carrying case for insulating heated frozenfood dinners and keeping them hot until ready for eating. The invention is thus an excellent solution to the problem of providing a hot, dclicio'. balanced, nutritional meal together with the speed, ease, convenience, cleanliness, and economy of a lunch that is brought from the home. With virtually no effort at all, a person upon arising could put the frozen-food dinner in the oven and have it ready for insertion into the insulated carrying case in about 20 minutes in time to leave for worlt. The dinner may then he carried to work very conveniently and kept hot for at least 5 or 6 hours until ready to be eaten. At that time, the hot, delicious dinner is available immediately, and may be enjoyed in a relaxed and peaceful atmosphere.

Naturally, it is apparent that many other modifications and variations to the basic theme could readily be envisioned without departing from the spirit of the invention. and it is, therefore, understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described.

I claim:

1. An insulated carrying case adapted to snugly house a frozen food dinner complete in its pro-packaged con tainer, comprising, a pair of sections hinged together to form an integral case, each of said sections comprising an outer rectangular casing having a bottom and having adjacent raised wall portions terminating in a continuous exposed edge, and an inner shell having a perimeter which is smaller than the perimeter of said edge of said casing, a continuous band of insulation material disposed therebetween with the inner perimeter of said band being rigidly secured to said perimeter of said shell and with the outer perimeter of said band being rigidly secured to said edge of said casing so as to form a complete and continuous heat-resisting seal between said casing and said respective shell, each of said shells being provided with three cavities recessed below the plane of said edge of said casing and separated one from another by llat surfaces on said shell, each of said cavities of one shell being complementary to a respective one of said cavities of the other shell so as to form three separate compartments when said sections are brought together, said shells and said cavities therein thereby being adapted to snugly house the usual three portions of a typical frozen food dinner, said flat surfaces separating said cavities one from another being provided with complementary tongue and groove formations on respective shells, said tongue and groove formations having a clearance therebetween when said sections are joined together which is just sufficient so that the relatively soft separating portions of a usual package for a frozen food dinner will be pinched together when said sections are closed in order that the individual courses of the meal will be prevented from running together, whereby said carrying case may be held in a variety of convenient positions, and means for locking said sections together.

2. An insulated carrying case as defined in claim 1, wherein said fiat surfaces separating said cavities all lie in the same plane and are joined together in a continuous Y-shaped web formation defining three separate compartments when said sections are brought together, one of the compartments being larger than the other two and being adapted to house the main portion of the usual package for a frozen food dinner.

3. An insulating carrying case as defined in claim I, wherein one of said sections is provided with an outer continuous lip adapted to overlap a portion of said other section when said sections are joined together.

4. For use with a heated frozen food dinner of the type having a main course and two side courses separated one from another in respective com mrtmcuis f0rming substantially a V-shapcrl con gm'ariou, the dinner being housed in a packaged container having a {my run! a foil over the contents of the fray. an im'ululerl time adapted to be held in a variety of converted: post 6 and in particular in a vertical plane, said ease compristhe dinner from running together when said case is held ing a bottom section and a top section joining intimately in a vertical plane. together to snngly house the dinner directly in its packaged container, insulation means within at least one of References Cited ir1 t he file of this patent said sections, said bottom section having three recesses 5 Original 1351mm formed therein separated one from another by a Y-slzaped UN D STATES PATENTS web to receive the packaged container of the dinner, said 1 336 776 Drinkwater A r 30 1920 Y-shaped web having its stem perpendicular to the length 1831663 Hm g 1931 of said bottom section, said bottom section further hav- 2387465 Pehigf 1045 ing means along the outer borders of said recesses to sup- 1O 24O6629 Pctkwitz" 5 port the peripheral portion of the tray, means on said 2436097 Clark 5 1948 top section, operative when said sections are joined to- 2457043 fi 1948 gether, to pinch the peripheral portion of the tray be- 251171D 'g 5 1950 tween said sections, thereby trapping the tray therebe- 2555788 Donifldson June 1n tween and simultaneously preventing the dinner from seep- 5 2606652 1a uette "A 5 ing out of the tray, said top section having a complemen- 7629042 g g 1; 5 tary Y-shaped web mating with said web of said bottom 5 Fucci y Ma 1954 section, and means on said respective webs and cooper- Chrkp 1956 ating tlzerebetween when said sections are joined together Prize 1957 to pinch the foil against the tray along its Y-shaped con- 20 figuration, thereby preventing the individual courses of F REIGN PATENTS 506,538 Canada Oct. 12, 1954 

